(a) Field
The invention relates to a liquid crystal display (“LCD”), and more particularly, to an LCD with improved aperture ratio and improved liquid crystal controlling power.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (“LCD”), which is one of the most widely used types of flat panel display, typically includes two display panels on which field generating electrodes, such as a pixel electrode and a common electrode, are provided, and a liquid crystal layer disposed therebetween. The LCD generates an electric field on the liquid crystal layer by applying voltage to the electric field generating electrode, determines a direction of liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer through the generated electric field, and displays an image by controlling polarization of incident light.
Among LCDs, in a vertically aligned (“VA”) mode LCD, in which liquid crystal molecules are aligned to enable a longitudinal axes thereof to be vertical with respect to a display panel in a state in which an electric field is not generated therein, a method of forming a cutout such as a micro slit on an electric field generating electrode is used to secure a wide viewing angle. In such a VA mode LCD, a cutout and a protrusion may determine a tilt direction in which liquid crystal molecules are tilted. Accordingly, a viewing angle may be improved by appropriately disposing the cutout and the protrusion and thereby distributing tilting directions of the liquid crystal molecules into a plurality of directions.
In such a VA mode LCD, when a plurality of branch electrodes are provided by forming a micro slit on a pixel electrode, an aperture ratio of the LCD may decrease.